


The Endeavors of a Monster Aided By Woman

by IvyCpher



Category: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Genre: F/M, Gen, Letters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Science Fiction, Victor Frankenstein bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27463594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyCpher/pseuds/IvyCpher
Summary: Elizabeth receives a letter that changes her whole life... She abandons her prospect of marriage with her cousin Victor and instead turns to assisting the creature he abandoned.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth was seated in the drawing room of the Geneva house with a cup of rose tea in hand when she received the letter. She was surprised at any state to get a letter, especially one in such a condition as it.

She put her cup down gently on its saucer as she took the letter from her attendant. It had no seal or post mark of any kind. The envelope was of thick, tan paper and covered with splotches of water as though it had been carried through a storm. The only thing on the entire envelope was her name,  _ Elizabeth Frankenstein _ , in the neatest of hands; it looked as if it had been written by a woman. Unneeding of a letter opener, Elizabeth opened the flap of the letter with her finger. Inside was a very long letter of identical handwriting to that of the envelope and written on the same paper as which the envelope was made. She pulled out the letter and read it at once.

  
  


_ Dear Elizabeth of Frankenstein, _

_ I am that of little importance to you, as I am to all the world, but who you are could be of importance to me; for I require your assistance, be you willing to provide it. I have entered upon a deal with your Victor Frankenstein, but I fear that he will not do to me as he has promised. _

_ I know in the deepest regions of my heart that it is wrong to ask of you for help considering how I know how I have forever wronged you in to attempt to blight our mutual Frankenstein. But as you soon will know, I am a wretch, a horrid creature of the night with no one else to turn to nor confide in my troubles. _

_ I, however, am not the only horrible creature that dares to walk this earth, though I may be the only one who takes the punishment for my sins. It is that Frankenstein who goes on unhindered by his sins who is the real monster of us both.  _

_ Frankenstein created me like the divine Father created Adam. He built me from the bones upward, stealing the bodies of those who were already devoid of life and stitching them together like some disgusting patchwork to make myself. He bore me unto this world and left me the second I became acquainted with life. For even he, my creator, knew my hideousness and feared my very being. _

_ Frankenstein abandoned me, his creation, without a single word other than a terrible scream of fear. He loathes me as I do him for bringing me into such a cruel and unforgiving world where a man's appearance can outweigh his character. Alas, despite our hatred towards one another, I managed to convince our Frankenstein to enter upon a deal with me. I, who am so alone in the world, only wished for a singular thing. This thing by coincidence is one only that Frankenstein himself can provide for me. A companion. _

_ Frankenstein managed to be God for a moment to make me, as disgusting as I might be, so I knew that he could manage the act again. I asked, begged, and threatened him to make me a womanly companion, one who would share my sorrows and understand my plight. He would make her as horrid as I and we would be alone in our ugliness, but together in our union of sorrow. _

_ As I confined with you before, however, I fear that Frankenstein will not stand for our bargain much longer. He is weak willed and I detest the thought that it will be ultimately him who might make me the loneliest being in all of existence. I am willed with the utmost scorn to all life when I am alone, and if I am to be alone I know that this will never waver. Despite my emotions, I do not find joy in being filled with these urges that are so ghastly as my appearance. All I wish is to live as any other man. To cultivate my own joy, as dismal as it might be. And to live a life knowing that even though I am the most hated thing to every other man, that a fellow being still is tender for me and I them. _

_ I beg for your assistance, my dear lady, though I am not deserving of it. I beg for your help in the creation of my own partner. For if our Frankenstein abandons his promise to me, then it will be only you, his own partner, who may have the strength over his heart to push him to finish his promised deed. _

_ I confess to you that my endeavors in finding peace among men have never succeeded. It is why I know I must require a being of my own kind. I have tried and failed to convince a child of my humanity. A child whom you knew, a younger Frankenstein. I must be honest with you above all, because despite the monster I may be I cannot lie to you when I ask for your assistance. I killed this boy when he became repulsed at my hideousness. I killed him with my bare hands and planted the necklace that he wore about his throat on the person of a girl who was then tried and killed for my crimes. _

_ You owe me nothing but hate and disgust, but still I plead with you for your assistance. It shows just how willingly desperate I am in my cause. I shoulder whatever hate you hold towards me, but I ask that even if you despise me for the monster I am, consider, even if faintly, the monster who bore me into this world. The monster which withheld from me even the most minute act of kindness and human decency and turned my heart into that of a beast's to match my appearance. _

_ I bear no ill will towards you, you have not acted in my suffering. It was not your hand that provided me life and held out of my reach happiness.  _

  
  


By the end of the letter, Elizabeth was in tears. She was crying not just for her beloved William and Justine, but for the author of the letter as well, the nameless being who killed them both. She could not begin to fathom the contents of the letter, but her pulse quickened and her head ached at what she read. She felt faint but did not move from her seat.

Though the letter was a great shock to her, Elizabeth could not find it in herself to believe it to be false. Why would such a man, or even a monster as the sender of the letter claimed to be, lie about such demented things? There was nothing, or so she felt, to be had by lying in such a manner. Elizabeth couldn't see a single gain for doing so, but then it meant that the letter was true. Her dear Victor had constructed a man, who he abandoned, and such turned into a monster.

With her hands shaking, Elizabeth put the letter in her lap as she grabbed her cup of tea. She took a long, slow drink to steady herself before turning back to the letter. Tears fell from her eyes but she remained silent. She felt confused and conflicted in how she was meant to feel, and how she ought to react.

Elizabeth was the type of person to believe in the goodness and innocence of others. Even if the person, like her blessed Justine, had confessed to a murder. The man who wrote her the letter was the one who sentenced Justine to death and robbed her poor William of his life before it had truly begun; by those standards he was neither good nor innocent. But what Elizabeth felt when she read the letter over again was not bitter anger, not even sadness, but pity. Murderer he may be, she felt that he was extremely humble and very sad in his confession to her.

Rising from her seat with the letter to her chest, Elizabeth abandoned the drawing room and started down the vast halls for the library. Her eyes had quit their tears and her mind felt very full, but each thought she had seemed to cut through that fullness like a sharpened sword. She did not know this man, and as he stated himself, she did not owe him anything either. But if the only thing that compelled people to act was the sense of owing a fellow something, then nothing in the world would be done.

Elizabeth stepped into the library and made straight for her Uncle's writing desk. She sat down in it's seat and slid a sheaf of parchment towards her. Her own Victor, the one whom she had loved so dearly and hoped one day to be wed to, had committed an egregious error. He had taken the time to create life, like the time and effort an expecting mother takes carrying her unborn child, and discarded it as easily and eagerly as one would discard something foul. Quite simply, it riled Elizabeth up. It made her question just how well she really knew her Victor, and whether he really was  _ her  _ Victor at all.

She found herself not enraged at the sender of the letter, but thankful. He had been truthful to her, even if it had only been to make a request, whereas Victor had not. Elizabeth wondered how long Victor had kept such a large thing a secret from her, and if he was ever inclined to tell her the truth, she supposed not. Ever since Victor had left for university after the death of her aunt, he shared his thoughts less and less and she had scarcely seen him. Strangely, even when Victor was in the same room with Elizabeth anymore, she never truly felt he was there. In body and person he was present, but in spirit and in mind he was clearly somewhere else.

Elizabeth's hands no longer shook as she found a quill and an ink well and began to write a response to the letter she had received that morning.

  
  


_ I know not which to call you but I thank you all the same for your honesty towards me. You are correct in your assumption of how I owe you nothing but mine own hate and disgust, but I feel not these ways toward you though I rightfully should. _

_ I pity you, dear man. I am saddened by which you have had to experience all alone. The world is a very dark place, I understand it so, though perhaps not as well as you. It was a great fortune to be taken in by my Aunt and Uncle when I was nothing more but starving child, but you have had none of the Frankenstein hospitality that I have. _

_ I do not disbelieve your claims, I know that you would have no reason to lie about such horrible things. I believe you though it breaks apart all I know about the man I love and changes forever how I will now think about him. I see you both in fault, but I see nowhere but fault where a man of your circumstances can ever end up. _

_ Dear man, I wish to help you. I do not believe that any creature should be alone, especially that of man. I will do everything in my power to assure that you are gifted a companion, and I hope that she loves you. _

_ While the actions of which you have done are ultimately horrible, I do not think that they should define you. Cease them, man. Fall out of your misgivings and your anger and fall into the light. Promise me that if I come to your aide, no matter how things may end you shall not turn back to that life of death and destruction. Your heart that beats in your chest, use it for love and not the pumping vessels of revenge. _

_ I will write Victor as soon as I am able to collect myself, _

_ Elizabeth Lavenza (Frankenstein) _

  
  


Satisfied with her reply, Elizabeth then proceeded to fold it neatly and place it within an envelope. She then stamped it with the Frankenstein seal on the outer portion. It was then, however, that Elizabeth realized that she had no way to send her letter. She didn't even know the name of the man who she was corresponding with, much less his address of residence.

Despite that, Elizabeth was not hindered. She stood up from the writing desk and quietly pushed in the seat. She grabbed her reply and the original letter and left the library. She was determined to send her reply though she may not of knew how.

Glancing back at the original letter in her hand, she thought of how wet the envelope had been when she had initially received it. Stopping dead in her tracts in the middle of the hall, Elizabeth gasped. It had been raining earlier that morning and the showers ceased nearly a quarter of an hour before she was given the letter. The idea seemed mad, but she thought again to the circumstances she was in and found that if was mad, it was only fitting with the situation.

The sender of the original letter had to be near to Geneva, and if Elizabeth wanted her reply to reach him she had to leave it for him where he could find it. 

Elizabeth then quickened her pace to the manor's front doors. She hoped not to pass Ernest or her Uncle, they might inquire to what she was doing and she didn't know if she would be able to answer. Luckily, she came across neither her family nor any servant and managed to slip out of the house with ease.

The stone steps of the house were slick with the earlier rain and so was the garden path leading to the lake, but Elizabeth did not slip. She had walked that same path many times over the years when it had been so unsteady underfoot that even Victor managed to fall and make a mess of himself in the muck, but she was more sure-footed than him and never so much as stumbled as she moved down the path.

Once she came to the shore of the lake, Elizabeth looked around, almost as if hoping to see whom she was corresponding with, but the nearby forest was empty and there was not a soul upon the lake. She fingered the letter, the pads of her fingers tracing over the pattern of the wax seal. It was spring and the earth was green and vibrant all around, the only dark thing was the clouded sky overhead.

"I leave this here for you, man!" Elizabeth spoke suddenly, looking around her. She felt completely and utterly alone, but she hoped that the one who she was replying to was nearby to hear her. She held her reply high in the air, it looked rather pale and grey to all the bright nature around it. Then slowly, she lowered the letter and set it upon the driest stone on the shore of the lake. Elizabeth looked around one final time before lifting up her dress and turning back up to the house.

Feeling her heart beat excitedly inside her chest like a bird trying to break free of it's cage, Elizabeth took in a deep breath and did not look back to the lake as she stepped once more inside the house.

Little did Elizabeth know, pale eyes had watched her descent to the lake and as she stepped back upwards towards the manor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth to continue to help the creature even after Victor destroys his companion he had been working on for him.

There was much to be thought out before Elizabeth penned her reply to Victor. She knew she had to select each and every one of her words with careful precision. She did not want to rouse him to anger with the knowledge that she knew of his creation and how she was firmly sided with it. Victor, as dear as he was to her, Elizabeth knew was very frail. One wrong choice of words could send him into a fit, let it be of anger or sickness she wanted to avoid both.

In her time of thinking how she was going to write Victor and even drafting a few letters, Elizabeth continued her correspondence with the nameless man whom Victor created. She learned that the creation was called by no name and it deeply upset her. With that, she began to address him not just as 'man', but as 'friend' as well.

Elizabeth was very proud of her letter to Victor once she finished it. She hoped that when Victor received it that he would come to his senses and help the one who he had burdened with a lonely life. After she sent out her letter, she eagerly awaited the post each day despite knowing that it would be some time until Victor got her letter, let alone bothered to reply.

It was two months later when Elizabeth finally received a reply, however, it was not from Victor. After just a seconds inspection, she immediately gathered that instead of being from Victor as she hoped, the letter was from his nameless creation. Too curious to be shocked, Elizabeth wasted no time in opening the envelope and taking out the letter. At once she read.

  
  


_ Dear Elizabeth, _

_ Our Victor has abandoned his promise. _

_ Each day and night I observed his progress with what was to be my own love. Eager to see her, I left my faraway place of hiding and moved close enough to see her face. At her, Frankenstein worked, but upon seeing me he destroyed her like I know he wishes to destroy me. _

_ He tore her limb from limb and acted as executioner to my one hope of light in this dark world. He sliced her with his scalpel beyond the point of human recognition and deposited the few remains of her in the ocean. _

_ I write this to you now, seething with rage. He has taken everything from me and more. Yet I shall not go against my promise to you and raise my fists in anger, however difficult it might be. I know that you have tried your best to sway him but as you know he is the impudent monster who he claims me to be. I thank you deeply for your assistance in my troubles, but it appears as if my hopes are dead and rotting in their grave. _

_ I present with you a warning. He returns to Geneva now with his companion. He comes with the thought of entering a union with you. For your sweet help, though my endeavors may now be pointless, I give you my own hand of help if you ever need it. May he be determined to have you and you not him, do not fear him for I will repay your kindness over and over until the seas dry up and the stars plummet from their heavenly skies. For you, Elizabeth, have paid me the only act of human kindness which I have ever experienced, and I will never forget it. _

_ Be safe and know that I am forever in your debt, _

_ Your friend. _

  
  


Elizabeth raised a shaking hand to her mouth. She was utterly disgusted. To think that her Victor-  _ no.  _ He was no longer her Victor, and he never would be. To think that he would betray his creation and act so selfishly, it made her feel sick to her senses.

She folded the letter neatly and rose from her seat. Elizabeth couldn't bear to be seated after being given such horrible news. She had to think. She had to devise a plan of what she was going to do next, because despite how her companion exclaimed that his hopes were dead, Elizabeth would not rest until things were right by him.

Elizabeth paced about the room. Her body felt feverish with a growing surge of emotions and her hands grew cold and clammy as they held the letter. It was a clear and bright summer day outside, and although the window she walked by provided a perfect view of the beautiful scenery she went without noticing it. Summer came and went each and every year without a doubt. When she died summer would still come, but her friend only had one life to find joy.

"Elizabeth, my dear, you appear troubled. Is something the matter?"

Turning around, Elizabeth saw her uncle in the doorway. He appeared to be full of concern. She felt herself soften at the sight of him and stepped quickly toward him.

"No, Uncle Alphonse, everything is quite fine." Then noticing the strength of her grip around the letter in her hands, Elizabeth slowly unclenched her fists and stared down at the wrinkled parchment. An idea long since pondered came into her mind and she studied the creases in the paper. "Actually, Uncle," She spoke softly, slowly looking up at him. "I fear there is something that displeases me."

"And what is it?" Asked her uncle. He put a caring hand on her shoulder. "Tell me at once and I will do what I can to see that you are happy. Our family has had a great many misfortunes these past years, so even if it provides you the smallest bit of happiness, I will be glad to give to you whatever I can."

Elizabeth took in a large breath before she spoke. "I do not wish to marry Victor." She spoke calmly, keeping eyes with her uncle.

Looking a bit shocked, her uncle nodded slowly. He patted Elizabeth's shoulder, "I will not force you to marry him, dear. You are already my daughter at heart and I would hate to pair you with a man whom you don't love because you feel obligated to." He paused for a moment then brought his hand to her cheek. "Tell me, is there a fellow you are partial to then?"

With a slow shake of her head, Elizabeth downcast her eyes. "I just do not care for Victor that way, Uncle. He is more of a brother to me than anything else."

"Well," As her uncle took his hand from her face he smiled at her. "You are a beautiful young lady, I am sure that you could have any man your heart desires. Thank you for being so honest with me, dear." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter. "I was just on my way to speak to you about Victor actually. It seems he and Henry are returning from their tour. I'm sure you'll be glad to see them again." He said, handing her the letter.

As she took the letter, Elizabeth forced a small smile. "Did he not send anything for me particularly?" She asked, skimming the letter. She hoped to receive a reply about her earlier letter to Victor about his creation and how she was determined to help it.

"Sorry, Elizabeth." Her uncle shook his head. "It seems not. But if it is your previously intended marriage you are concerned about, don't worry. I'll speak to Victor when he arrives home and safe."

"Oh." Making the conscious effort not to appear displeased, Elizabeth smiled again. "Thank you, Uncle. You are too kind to me."

Returning Elizabeth's smile, her uncle nodded. "You're my daughter, I'd never dream to be anything but kind to you, dear. I just wish to see you happy. How glad I will be to have Victor back in the house," He shook his head fondly. "Now, I must go and tell Ernest of Victor's return."

After her uncle had left, Elizabeth didn't even bother to read the letter that Victor had sent them. Because if it wasn't concerning his creation then it wasn't worth reading. She left it on a side table in the room where her uncle could easily find and take possession of it once more and then left for her own room. She had much to do before Victor arrived once back at Geneva and she was not going to waste a seconds worth of time.

Once Elizabeth stepped back into her own room, she hastily moved to her vanity near the window. While her vanity housed jewelry, some of which had belonged to her late aunt, and perfume, and a wide assortment of other things any proper lady ought to have, it also had a drawer with parchment, a bottle of ink, and a few choice quills.

Sitting at her vanity, Elizabeth opened the little lower drawer with her writing utensils. She removed a few sheets of parchment, the bottle of ink, and her favourite blue quill. Then she hastily began to write Victor's creation.

  
  


_ Dear friend, _

_ Although Victor has failed to uphold his promise to you, I shall not do the same. I see you as he does not, human, and I see that you are in need of love and companionship as well. A cruel and foolish man is he to not give you the smallest of wants that he is so able to readily provide. _

_ I will not fail you, I swear it on my late Aunt. Let me provide to you love and companionship, friend. I cannot say how long it will be, but I will take it upon myself to study the same practices as Victor and undergo the process myself of creating you a companion. Let she be beautiful and let she love you dearly. It may take years, but I will not give up on you, friend, as long as I shall live. Where men have failed it takes the hand of a woman to pick up his fallen work and in her perfection, make it her own. _

_ No man deserves to live friendless and loveless, and I will do my best that you shall never feel alone again. _

_ Elizabeth Lavenza _


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth was out at the lake with Ernest on the day Victor finally arrived back in Geneva. They were feeding the fish that would dare come to the edge of the lake, bread crumbs from a forgotten loaf of bread that had gone stale down in the kitchens. It was great fun until Victor came down the garden path and joined them.

"Elizabeth! Ernest!" Victor called, causing them to halt their feeding of the fish and to turn around.

Victor was deathly pale, like he usually tended to look when he was about to fall into one of his fits of illness, but other than that he seemed steady as he walked down toward them.

While Ernest ran up to meet his brother, Elizabeth stayed where she was. She clutched the remainder of the stale bread in her hands and turned back to look at the lake as Victor and Ernest talked happily.

However, Victor was rather quick to direct Ernest back up towards the house so he could talk to Elizabeth alone. Elizabeth made no inclination that she heard Victor coax his brother to go back inside as she stood by the lake, tossing the remaining bits of bread to the eager fish.

"Elizabeth-" Victor said once more when Ernest was out of earshot. He sounded tired and anxious now.

"Victor," Elizabeth finally turned around to face him. She wiped the bread crumbs off her hands. "How was your trip?" She asked, pleasantly.

For a moment Victor looked very angry, but then he was calm again. With a shaking hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter that Elizabeth recognized to be the very one she had sent him just over two months ago. "What is this?" He asked softly, holding it up.

"A letter," Nodded Elizabeth. She crossed her arms low on her chest and studied the man she had once thought she loved. He looked incredibly tired. There were shadows under his eyes and his hair had grown longer than it used to be. He looked like a man who had seen death. "I hope you've read it. What's inside it is very important to me, and should be of importance to you as well."

Shoving the letter back into his pocket, Victor's voice rose. "I wish I would have never learned to read than have to bear witness to these words with my own two eyes in full understanding." He said, nearly shouting. Then he took a large breath and attempted to control his voice with visible effort. "Elizabeth, you're too pure to understand the mind of that wretched monster! You call him a man, but do you know of what he had done? He murdered poor William and just as good as murdered Justine!"

Hearing such a thing made Elizabeth wince, but she remained calm while Victor could not. "I do know of what he has done." She admitted. "He confessed everything to me. Do not confuse my good will and my faith in humanity for me being pure, Victor." She shook her head, her eyes traveling to the woods around them. She wondered if Victor's creation was watching them, she supposed he was. "Though I may be a lady, that doesn't mean that I cannot process a situation and make my own judgement of a person's character for myself."

"The character of a beast is always deplorable, you must know that!" Victor begged. "This creature is most skilled at making you sympathize for him. He clouds your mind and your heart with his tales of sorrow but he is not worth the shedding of one single tear! Know that if I were to follow through with his outrageous request of making him a mate that it is quite possible that they could reproduce!" With a heavy shake of his head, Victor raked his fingers through his hair. "I am already to blame for bringing unto this earth one demon, how could I willingly create another and let her bear more of their kind?"

A heat crept up Elizabeth's neck as she struggled to keep a level head with Victor's unsympathetic arguments. She ground her hands into fists in front of her and took a single step toward him. "I am neither weak willed nor dim witted. If he wished to wreak havoc like a common criminal than he would, but he has seen his error. All he wants is happiness and companionship with another like him, you must understand that want as a man yourself."

"I will not do it, I will not! I have enough of my own sins to repent for and I will not add upon the list!" Stepping away from Elizabeth like she brandished a weapon, Victor shook his head. "One abomination is enough for this world! Elizabeth, he has taken everything from me don't you see? First my health and my sanity, then William and Justine!" He gestured madly around him before moving a weak hand toward Elizabeth. "And now… finally you. I so longed to marry you, Elizabeth. I've looked forward to our union since we were young. The thought that we might be together was the only thing keeping me alive in these dark times yet you call it off all for some monster!"

It was finally then that Elizabeth felt herself slipping into true anger that made her blood boil and her heart hammer away in her chest. "Do not call him a monster when you were the one who created him! You abandoned him when you could have raised and taught him to be good and you  _ lied to me!"  _ She cried, her eyes suddenly stinging as she pressed her palms to her chest. "You have hidden him from us all and planned to do so until you died. How could you go on with a clean conscience knowing that you were never truthful with us, Victor?"

Tears burned Elizabeth's eyes and she brushed them away with the back of her hand. At least her rise in emotion seemed to shock Victor into silence.

"I loved you." She said in a much quieter voice. "I  _ loved _ you." And just as soon as Elizabeth's tears came they stopped, leaving her face hot and wet and her eyes pulsing painfully with every beat of her heart.

"Elizabeth-" Victor said feebly. He reached out to her and began to close the distance between them.

To stop Victor from embracing her, Elizabeth held out her hand. At her action Victor came no closer to her. He looked at her like he had never seen her before and she was starting to feel as if he never really had seen her before. Maybe she had never really seen him as well.

"But-" Elizabeth picked up, her voice cracking. "I don't love you anymore and I will not marry you. I cannot." She closed her eyes and listened to the wind as it picked up around them. She took in a large breath and felt as it calmed her. "I cannot marry you when you have lied to me in such a way and when you would deny your fellow man the same happiness as which you yourself desire. Victor, you could have given him a companion, but you did not. And now you will not have me as your own companion."

There was silence, a deathly silence like that of an empty church during prayer. But instead of the joyous feeling of love and community, the air between Elizabeth and Victor was charged and tense.

"And... And I plan to do for him what you in cowardice have failed to do." Elizabeth began again. She felt stronger. Standing up to the only man who had ever held her heart was a challenge, but because she was doing what she knew was right she was filled with a new courage. She would not let herself be dictated by a man, much less one as pitiful and heartless as Victor. Elizabeth would take charge of her life and help those who she could. "I will take up the same studies as you: genetics, biology, all that it will take to mould your forgotten creation a female companion."

Victor did not move, and in some remarkable way he grew paler than he already was. "Elizabeth," He spoke, but it was in a tone that Elizabeth had never heard him use towards her or anyone else. Had Elizabeth been a weaker woman, she might have been frightened, but even then she knew that Victor would never dare place a hand upon her without her consent. "I have lost myself in this heinous work. I thought I was being blessed with the act of creation and that I would be remembered as one of the greatest scientists of all time, but I know now that I was only cursed by the Devil's hand and my own selfish mind and will forever be remembered as the man who doomed all." He took in large breath and was quiet for a short moment. "I will not help you if you succumb to the same fate as I.

"Create for him a mate if you really so desire but do not come crawling back to me when she lives and in her mind wishes to bear their unholy spawn into this world! Be the mother of all demons. Because if you create for him a female mate, then you are as good as wedding yourself to him."

And with those stinging words, Victor departed. He left Elizabeth alone at the lake in utter shock with the wind sweeping her dress around her and her heart broken in her chest.

Once again, Elizabeth felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks. But, they were not tears of rage as before but tears of sorrow. Victor had changed, and she knew in that moment that the man he used to be was gone and she could never expect him to return. The man who lived behind his eyes and spoke in his familiar voice was nothing but a stranger to her, and she did not wish to know him. Not then, not ever.

With her vision blurry, she set off away from the manor. She did not know where she was going and for the first time in her life, stumbled as she walked carelessly down the garden path that led around the lake. Instead of following the path completely around the lake, however, Elizabeth diverted her course to the thick pine woods surrounding the lake. As soon as she stepped into the secluded woods, she hid herself behind the nearest tree and began to cry.

The familiar scent of pine filled Elizabeth's nose as she cried into her hands and it filled her lungs each time she gasped for breath. Her mind was pulsating and her chest ached with the longing for the Victor who she used to love. She could never in all her life guess that Victor would speak to her in such a way, his words hurt her more than a knife ever would.

"I know I have promised you that I would not raise my fists in anger again, but know that I would make an exception in this moment. Tell me, has Frankenstein hurt you?"

Elizabeth looked up in the direction of the voice that spoke to her, but through the thick dark of the wood she could not see the speaker. However, she did not need to see who had spoken to her to know exactly who it was.

Slowly pushing herself up against the tree that she was leaning against, Elizabeth removed her handkerchief from the pocket of her dress and wiped her face. She still felt horrible deep inside, but the cry did help relieve some of her pain.

"Why do you hide, friend?" Elizabeth asked quietly, dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief. Her voice was nasally from crying but it was steady and sure. "It is not polite to converse when hidden, especially to those you know." She looked around her, but could still not see any part of Victor's creation.

"You are too kind, Elizabeth. But I stay hidden as not to surprise you." Spoke the creation from somewhere within the forest around Elizabeth. "I do not wish to frighten you with my appearance."

Smiling softly, Elizabeth almost felt like laughing. "You will not frighten me." She said, tucking her handkerchief back into her pocket. "I know who you are, I will never be afraid of you. Now come out before I come looking for you myself."

Then from out of the shadows, he emerged. He was so tall that Elizabeth had to step back just to see his face. His skin was ghastly pale, paler than Victor's even. He looked like he had grown a very large amount in a short time with how his skin was stretched tightly over his features and his arms and legs both appeared to be just too long. He stared at Elizabeth nervously with a pair of pale eyes, yellow like butter or the dawn on a spring day.

He did not look like an average man, but that did not mean that Elizabeth was frightened of him.

Elizabeth's smile grew and she breached the distance between herself and the creature. Then she took his massive hand and shook it. "It is wonderful to finally meet you."

The creature, despite looking quite unsure and even a little fearful, slowly smiled and returned Elizabeth's handshake. "And it is wonderful to meet you as well, Elizabeth. I admire your resolve, even when you were met with a hideous face, you did not flinch." 

"Because I don't think it's right to judge someone by their appearance," Elizabeth took her hand back. "And I don't think that people should be so childish. You are a man and your appearance is something that you cannot help, unlike someone who can chose how they react to something." She paused, her smile fading. "You heard the conversation between Victor and I…. Didn't you?"

The creature slowly nodded, "I pray you would not cry over him and what he says. He is too poor of a person to be wasting tears over."

Elizabeth supposed that to be true, but it was too soon for her to say it aloud. "I meant it." She said. "And I still do. About making you a companion."

"Your heart is so large and pure that I cannot begin to thank you for what I know you will do for me," The creature gave a low bow and even then he was still much taller than Elizabeth. Noticing how he still towered over her, he moved to his knees where he was at almost equal height with Elizabeth. "You need not to reassure me, I trust you. You do not look upon me with fear nor do you talk about me with distaste… For even those I am thankful." He said, his head bowed.

"Please rise," Elizabeth spoke, stepping back from the creature. "You do not need to make yourself small to show you are grateful." When the creature rose before her again, she studied him carefully. "But, friend, there is an item that you do need."

"Name it and I will acquire it at once."

Smiling, Elizabeth shook her head softly. "That is the very thing, friend. A  _ name.  _ Every man needs a name."

In embarrassment, the creature looked away. "A name? A thing so simple is wasted on me when I have already been alive without one for some time. Even more, why would I wish to have something personal for people who detest me to curse with? What is the point of a name when it is only in another's mouth as an insult?"

Elizabeth kept her smile. "What is a name indeed, but something for your future companion to call you by?" She asked.

Looking up at her, Elizabeth saw that the creature's previously deathly pale face was tinted red. "A name," He said. "Might not be too bad for me afterall…. But isn't it a parent who picks the name of their child? Victor would only rejoice in me having a proper name so that he might spit it back at me."

That made Elizabeth frown. "Who is to say that a person cannot pick their own name?" She suggested. "One that they feel suits them best."

The creature was quiet for some time before shaking his head. "I know not any name that would suit me. But you, dear Elizabeth, are the first one to treat me as your fellow, I feel that though you have not created me you were the first to grace me with the first act of human kindness that I have ever experienced. In that way you have acted towards me like a proper parent must, that qualifies you to select my name."

Feeling flustered, Elizabeth raised a hand to her chest in surprise. "If you desire it, then let it be." She said slowly. "But I must confess that I have never named a single living thing in my life."

"Ah, but you have a name." The creature pointed out. "You may not have experience in giving names, but you've lived a life of having your own. Something I have not. Having a name means you are fit to give one as well."

"Well," Elizabeth thought. Looking at the creature she could see in him no resemblance of any other person she knew to take the inspiration for a name, and she was not reminded strongly of anyone in the creature's attitude. He was all his own person, based from no one but without a self. Then the thought came clear for Elizabeth, almost like the sound of a bell. "I think that the name 'Adam' is very fitting for you, friend. You see, in our very first correspondence you compared yourself to the first man, to Adam himself."

The creature hesitated, "Such an important name and you think I deserve to have it?" He asked. "To have the very same name of God's first human creation while being the own first creation of a man who thought himself God feels blasphemous."

"Perhaps it is blasphemous, but it is you. Friend, the Son of God broke bread and shared kindness with outcasts and those who were hated just like yourself. I think it is only fitting that your name be so special, but you are the one to decide."

After some consideration, Adam smiled, "I love it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taking me so long to update! I'm without a hyperfixation right now so that means my writing inspiration is low. But we're finally going places with this fic!

**Author's Note:**

> So I had to read Frankenstein for class and it wasn't bad but I just loathe Victor. I will beat this pussy boy up so bad that he'll be able to visit Jesus and have a discussion about his own God complex with him. He's a selfish asshole and everything he had he did not deserve.


End file.
